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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) offers a balance between performance and portability with its Apple M2 chip and lightweight design, well-suited for general use and mobility, along with a high-resolution screen and long battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go work and multimedia consumption. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin, with its Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card, is more geared towards gaming and 3D tasks, but it is heavier and has shorter battery life, so it's less portable and more suitable for stationary use where it can leverage its gaming capabilities. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
7.9
6.5
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
7.6
6.7
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is tailored for engineering and design with its high-resolution display and powerful integrated Apple M2 GPU, but its slim form factor and silent operation may limit prolonged heavy usage without active cooling.
Content Creation
8.0
6.8
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.1
6.3
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
7.8
6.8
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air has high resolution and brightness, which makes it great for general tasks that involve reading or viewing content, and offers excellent color accuracy needed for engineering and design work. The MSI GF65 Thin's moderate resolution and brightness provide an adequate but less impressive visual experience for everyday use and design tasks. However, both laptops have screens with lower refresh rates, which aren't ideal for 3D applications where smooth motion is key.
Battery
15.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
6.7
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.8
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) offers an Apple M2 integrated GPU which is less powerful for 3D and gaming than dedicated GPUs and its operating system might not support many popular games, while the MSI GF65 Thin has a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU offering better performance for gaming and 3D tasks and runs on an OS that supports a wider range of games.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,299 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.3 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.4" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 66.6 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 501 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | N/A | |
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Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the MSI GF65 Thin
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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